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17 September 2008

I'd rather trust a countryman than a townman,
You can judge by his eyes, take a look if you can,
He'll smile through his guard,
Survival trains hard.
I'd rather trust a man who works with his hands,
He looks at you once, you know he understands,
Don't need any shield,
When you're out in the field.

I dunno. Jessamyn had a great quote in a MeFi thread tonight, when people were discussing small towns vs. big cities. She said "I love my small town. But it's also full of child rapists." And, having lived in both kinds of places, I know it's true. There's nothing morally superior about being rural - there's plenty of abuse, neglect, ignorance, amorality, and cruelty in the country, just as there is in the city. I've known city dwellers who were far more upstanding and honest and espoused better values and gave back to their communities more than some of my own relatives who lived in rural and small-town areas. We romanticize. If you're still in or around a small town or in the country, and in touch with it directly and frequently, it's clear that there are some real baddies out there, as well as perfectly nice people.

I've been in Orlando on business for nearly two weeks, and some nights I've spent in the hotel bar. I'm just kind of sick and tired of listening to business hot-shots who like to brag about what wonderful business hot-shots they are.

Last night, there was a guy there who had one beer. He was in town to get re-certified as a crane inspector. He had the look of a person who has worked with his hands his whole life and couldn't take a desk job if his life depended on it. He was on a business trip, but he had brought his wife. There was no pretense in either one of them. He was just this up-front guy, and we had a really pleasant conversation.

As I went up to my room, that lyric just kind of wafted through my consciousness.